Ornamental shrubs add structure to your garden and last a long time. Here I'm sharing a list of 5 top flowering shrubs with multiple seasonal interest. This means not only do they look good during spring but throughout the summer and into fall.
As a child, I first dabbled in houseplants. As a young adult, I began experimenting by combining pretty annuals in pots.
When I purchased my first home, I was a big fan of perennials. I still love them and grow quite a few, however, after a while I realized that my garden design was somewhat lacking.
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Although each of the properties I have lived in came with its share of standard foundation plants with evergreen shrubs and a smattering of trees, the garden beds that I began to plant needed some structure and a little more seasonal interest to create the right look.
This is where today's flowering shrubs come in. And I'm not talking about the typical flowering bushes such as butterfly bushes, hydrangeas, lilac, azalea, and rhododendrons. This is a slightly unusual group of five flowering shrubs that I have growing in the garden. They are all easy to grow and provide great structure and balance with color at different times during the year. They add height and texture and once established, they are drought tolerant and require very little to no maintenance.
Best Shrubs for an Ornamental Garden
1. Fothergilla major
This first shrub was recommended to me by my friend Arlene, who has been a gardener for as long as I’ve known her for the past 25 years.
Growing Fothergilla
- Deciduous - loses its leaves in the winter
- Hardy to zone 4
- Requires full Sun to Part Shade
- Gets pretty big - mine is about six feet tall and around five feet wide and would make a good hedge.
Why I love it
- No maintenance at all.
- Blooms have a nice honey fragrance.
- Unusual bottle brush fragrant flowers in the spring, good for arrangements before the perennials are up and blooming
- Great fall foliage color
2. Weigela florida
This beautiful shrub was part of the landscape when we moved into this property 10 years ago. If it was planted when the house was built, it would be close to 30 years old.
Growing Weigela
- Deciduous - loses its leaves in the winter
- Hardy to zone 4
- Requires full sun
- Can get large (10 feet x 10 feet) but there are many dwarf varieties
Why I love it
- Very little maintenance--we prune it in the late summer to keep it in control
- Beautiful fuchsia colored flowers all over that last a long time in an arrangement
- Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees love it
3. Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'
I purchased this with a birthday gift card from White Flower Farm several years ago and have been delighted at how well it turned out.
Growing Sambucus
- Deciduous - loses its leaves in the winter
- Hardy to zone 4
- Requires full sun to partial shade
- Reaches around six to eight feet tall and wide at maturity
Why I love it
- Beautiful unique dark foliage that lasts all season
- Adds a nice airy feeling to the landscape
- Produces pretty showy flowers in the spring
4. Spiraea japonica
This shrub was also here when we bought the house. It's fairly common however I have come to love its delicate leaves, flowers, and compact shape.
Growing Spiraea
- Deciduous - loses its leaves in the winter
- Hardy to zone 4
- Requires full sun to partial shade
- Medium size -three feet tall by 4 feet wide
- Could be used as a low hedge
Why I love it
- A full flush of lovely pink flowers from May through July makes it one of the best fillers for flower arrangements
- Requires no maintenance, unless you have some winter damage or want to shape the plant
- You can easily dig up a piece and plant it somewhere else in the garden
5. Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst'
I also purchased this one out of a catalog and have loved it from the start. It produces the most beautiful bright berries in my garden when everything else is dying back.
Growing Beautyberry
- Deciduous - loses its leaves in the winter
- Hardy to zone 5
- Requires full sun to partial shade
- Medium size - four feet tall by five feet wide
Why I love it
- I prune this one in the spring down to six inches and by July, it has already grown to four feet tall
- Has the most beautiful purple berries in the fall--no wonder the common name is 'Beautyberry'
- Occasionally self-seeds, so I can share with friends and family
There you have it. Five top flowering shrubs shining in your garden from spring to fall.
More Flowers Shrubs and Plants to Grow
Kathy Menold
I like your selection of shrubs. Nice to see something different than the usual boxwood and azaleas. I found that adding shrubs to my gardens add so much needed structure and even winter interest. Also cuts down on work as I get older and like to spend less time on my knees!!
Patti Estep
So glad to hear that you like my favorite shrubs and you make a great point about spending less time on your knees.
Brandy
I bought some beauty berry seeds. How long is germination? Do you have any planting tips??
Patti Estep
Brandy I have never grown this from seed but usually, seed packets will give you the germination information. I'm told that this shrub is pretty prolific in the south so I would think that means that it would be easy to grow from seed. Let me know how it turns out.
Sandy
I like all these shrubs - several are native here in North Carolina. I use cheap hair spray on the berries of the Beauty Bush to use for arrangements mostly at Christmas. Does the Black Lace produce elderberries? In the wild that gets really big!
Patti Estep
Sandy, I love your hairspray idea. I've tried to use the berries in arrangements because they are so beautiful but they often fell off the stems. Can't wait to try your trick. Thanks for sharing. Regarding the Black Lace Elderberry. Mine doesn't get a ton of berries and it's not huge. I think that's because it's more of a European variety and not the American elderberry. Also, it may need a second shrub to help it produce more berries? Of course there is always the birds. They probably eat them all before I get a chance.
Sandra
Woody flowering shrubs are my favorite garden inhabitant! I had the gold flame, waterman and little princess spirea and the wigelia in my NJ garden. They do not do well in SC, where I now live; however, the beauty berry is very abundant. I have learned to enjoy tea olive, lorapetulum, camellia and anise or their fragrance and showy flowers. Sandra
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Patti Estep
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for you kind words. South Carolina is a lot warmer than NJ. I lived in Nashville for a couple of years and the own thing I loved about it was the longer growing season. I have a friend who is trying to grow Camelias here in PA but I'm sure it will be a struggle. Lucky you!
Have a great week and thanks for stopping by,
Patti
karen
Thank you for the tips. I need to add shrubs to my landscape. Looks like a trip to the nursery is needed.
Karen
Patti
Hi Karen,
I hope you find something that works for you. You can always ask someone at the nursery their favorites, maybe something with more than one season of interest.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Renee Fuller
One of my favorite shrubs are Weigelas. I have 3 variegated because I gave a couple away. The hummingbirds love them and that is why I plant them.
Patti
Hi Renee,
Yeah, they have that tubular kind of flower that hummingbirds love. I bet your variegated shrubs are beautiful. Thanks for stopping by.
Patti
Liz Thomas
I had all of these when I lived in the PNW and they did beautifully. I'm wondering if the summer heat would be too much for them in Williamsburg, VA
Patti
I'm not 100% sure but I think they would all do well in VA. It's a little warmer then here but they are all pretty tough shrubs. You could check to see what their heat index is. I did a quick search and it looks like Williamsburg in between Heat zone 6 and 7. I think you will do okay with any of them in VA. Have fun in your new place!
Liz Thomas
Thanks, Patti!!
Leslie
Looks like you've got some beautiful shrubs there. We're on our second year of our weigela and it 's huge. The beauty berry looks like a gorgeous Fall plant. Thanks for the tips!
Patti
Thanks Leslie,
You may already know this but the wegelia makes a great cut flower for arrangements.
Have a great weekend!
Patti
Kim Smith
I love your list of shrubs. I have the spirea and the beauty berry. I am so anxious to see how it turns out this fall. It is my first year for it. But I have a nice sized bush now in July, so I am hopeful. Thanks. Beautiful inspiring photos.
Patti
Hi Kim,
Thanks for the kudos. You will love your beauty berry. Last winter when it was freezing here and everything was dead I saw a couple of blue birds through the window on it. We never get bluebirds so that was exciting. I learned at a garden symposium once that you should cut it back hard every spring so I do and it still gets pretty large by July. I think the reasoning is so it will produce more flowers which will eventually produce the beautiful berries in fall. Thanks for stopping!
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Well I have 2 of the black lace and one quite large weigela but I don't have room for the rest! Nice collection.
Patti
Thanks Karen. Glad you think so. Thanks for stopping by!